Building a RISC OS machine from a dead PC

I have over 15 SD cards in a draw and the computer would only read one of them which is a 2GB. I flashed it with Ecther and the RISC OS Image file but returned an error at the end, its the only SD card that seemed to work.

I just took a look at the RISC OS Direct page, and it needs a least 8GB for that disc image, so too big for a 2GB card. RISC OS Pi would fit though.

know all my SD cards cant be bad because they were all in working order. I don’t know how they have gone bad from sitting in a draw it makes no sense. I decided to test them on my phone and some work but are all corrupted for example a 16GB SD card showing as 56MB. I will have to trouble shoot how to format corrupted SD cards. The computer would not see them at all. I tried to read them in Linux in terminal and various disk repair applications with no luck.

Bin them, SD cards aren’t designed for use as primary storage for operating systems and have a limited lifespan. If they’ve done a year in a Raspberry Pi under continual use by Linux, that’s them probably done. RISC OS doesn’t do as much writing as Linux, but don’t risk using a used card. I’m evaluating the Samsung and SanDisk high endurance cards for my Linux Pi’s at the moment, but I suspect the best policy is buy cheap and replace often.

I was just as puzzled I knew that these SD cards couldn’t have all been bad. The issue turned out to be a combination of Linux having some weird bugs not seeing SD cards over 2 GB and some SD cards corrupted. I sorted them out in a PC running Windows 10 with SD Card formatting tools. A couple of them where completely dead but the others I got working again.

I’m half way through my RISC OS PC build. There are a few more bits I need to order which I will do after the new year. I have all the basics to get me started for now. I just need to get a small powered USB hub, “space will start getting a bit tight in there” so will have to be a small USB hub and a 34 pin floppy to USB connector plus a SATA to USB adapter which will be connected to a 64GB SSD to store all the apps and programs and games etc.

Once I eventually have it all together and working the way I want to work then I might go one step further and see if I can track down all the old RISC OS software I used to have on floppy. I know a lot of it is licensed and some of it is nonexistent today… here is a short list…

Badger Trails
Table Aliens
Space City
Darryl The Dragon
Around The World In 80 Days
Granny’s Garden
and a few more… they hold so much nostalgia for me and it would be magical to be able to have those again.